News Briefs (February 2008)

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Death Toll in Floods, Landslides in Philippines Climbs to 45

The death toll in floods and landslides that have lashed the eastern and southern Philippines for two weeks has climbed to 45, with eight people missing, officials said Thursday. Fed by heavy rains since Feb. 12, floods have inundated entire towns and displaced more than 41,000 people in 12 provinces, destroying roads and bridges and triggering landslides, the National Disaster Coordinating Council reported. Nine more bodies were recovered in four eastern provinces, including a soldier who drowned in Camarines Norte province and a 21-year-old woman killed by a landslide in Sorsogon, the agency said. A 52-year-old man died in another landslide in southern Compostela Valley, pushing the death toll since Monday to 45 from 35. At least 31 others have been injured. Infrastructure and agricultural damage totals more than 1.3 billion pesos (US $32 million), mostly on Leyte and Samar islands, about 570 kilometers (350 miles) southeast of the capital, Manila, the agency said. A low-pressure area and the tail of a cold front have brought continuous heavy rains to eastern and southern portions of the archipelago, the weather bureau said. (AP)

Thousands of Indonesians Protest Nuclear Plant Plan

About 3,000 villagers protested against a plan to build Indonesia's first nuclear plant, saying Thursday they feared it would be dangerous. Some demonstrators built a concrete wall in front of the National Nuclear Energy Agency, symbolically shutting the office, which is close to the proposed site of the plant on the main island of Java. The government says it plans to begin building the plant in 2010 and have it up and running by 2016. It is expected to contribute a total of 4,000 megawatts to the country's electricity grid by 2025. In September, dozens of Muslim clerics from the country's largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, issued an edict against the construction, saying the potential dangers far outweighed the benefits. They acknowledged the plant would help meet the rising demand for electricity, but declared it "haram"—or forbidden by Islam—over concerns about frequent earthquakes on Java and questions about the handling of radioactive waste. (AP)

 Monday, February 25, 2008

Vietnam Plans to Invest US $1 Billion on Internet Development

Vietnam's largest telecommunications company plans to invest US $1 billion to upgrade the country's broadband Internet network and keep pace with economic growth. Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Group will expand and improve the network over the next two years, said Bui Quoc Viet, spokesman for the state-owned firm. The improved network will provide faster connections for Vietnam's nearly 19 million Internet users, he said. Roughly one-fifth of the country's 85 million people use the Internet.  The Vietnamese government wants to expand the country's broadband network into previously unserved regions of the country and link public high schools and government offices to the network. (AP)

Indonesia Issues Tsunami Warning after Powerful Quake

Indonesia issued a tsunami warning on Monday after a powerful quake struck off the western coast of Sumatra island. The quake, which had a preliminary magnitude of 7.2, was centered in the Indian Ocean around 156 kilometers (96 miles) from the coastal town of Bengkulu, Indonesia's geophysics agency said in a statement. Residents in Bengkulu told el-Shinta radio station they felt the quake strongly, but that it did not appear to have caused major damage in the region, which late Sunday was also hit by a strong quake.

The geophysics agency issued a tsunami bulletin following the quake. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also warned the coastal communities around Bengkulu may be at risk of large waves. Indonesia does not have equipment to measure changes in sea level that would indicate an actual tsunami was on its way. Agencies routinely issue warnings after shallow offshore quakes with a magnitude of 6.5 or above strike. (AP)

Friday, February 22, 2008

British Unionists Calls for End to Lonely Planet’s Burma Guide

Britain’s biggest labor group, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has urged the publishers of the Lonely Planet guidebook to drop its Burma edition, saying it encouraged people to visit a country they might otherwise avoid.